Describing TAR UC as a "political by-product", Ean Yong said MCA had set up the institution to appease the Chinese community after education movement Dong Jiao Zong's application to set up a Merdeka University in the 1970s was rejected.

"It is unfair to use taxpayer money to help a political party's university that is not answerable to the public. It should be treated equal as other private education institutions in the country.

"I would support government funding for TAR UC if MCA agrees to hand over the institution to the community, so that it can be run with a structure similar to New Era College University, Southern University College and Han Chiang University College," he said.